Paul Kagame said: “If asylum seekers don’t come, we can return the money.” Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES < p>Rwanda's president has offered to return millions of pounds his country has received if the UK fails to deport asylum seekers to the country.
Paul Kagame has warned there are limits on how long attempts can last implement the asylum agreement. with Great Britain may “take a long time.”
The Rwandan leader was speaking in Davos on Wednesday before Rishi Sunak's flagship Rwanda Bill was due to pass its third reading after a revolt by 60 MPs demanding he toughen it up. top.
No asylum seekers have yet been sent to Rwanda, which has so far received £240 million from the UK as part of an economic and development agreement between the two countries under which migrants will be deported to show claims. asylum in an African state.
Asked by the BBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos why his country was taking millions of pounds of British money without accepting asylum seekers, Mr Kagame replied: “It will only be used if these people come.”
< p>He added: “If they don’t come, we can return the money.”
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Mr Kagame did not specify how much of the money he would return or when. Yolanda Makolo, a spokeswoman for the Rwandan government, played down the size of any payments, saying the country was “not obligated” to return any funds paid, but if the UK asked for a refund, “we will look at it”.
“Under the terms of the agreement, Rwanda is not obligated to return any funds paid. However, if no migrants arrive in Rwanda under this scheme and the UK government wishes to request a refund of some of the funding allocated to support migrants, we will consider this request,” she said.
“It is premature to talk about numbers at this time as we are still awaiting completion of the UK legislative process and remain committed to making the partnership work.”
“This is the UK’s problem, not ours”
Responding to Asked by the BBC about the political and legal obstacles surrounding the deal with his country, Mr Kagame replied: “Ask Britain – it's Britain's problem, not Rwanda's problem.”
In an interview with The Guardian, Mr Kagame expressed frustration over the protracted debate over whether asylum seekers can be processed in Rwanda. “There are limits to how long this can go on,” he said.
The deal paid Rwanda around £240 million, The Telegraph reported last year, with a further payment due in 2024-25 £50 million expected for the financial year.
Michael Tomlinson, the Minister for Illegal Migration, said he was confident the Rwanda Bill would be passed before the House of Lords considered it. Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA Labor will give the money back
The Tory right has seized on Mr Kagame's words as evidence that the Rwandan scheme must block international law to satisfy the Rwandan president.
Rebel source reported: “As [Irregular Migration Minister] Michael Tomlinson explained this morning, the government's plan is being implemented – we need hundreds of judges to deal with thousands of cases, which will take at least months and months.
Rwanda needs a plan that works quickly , not one that suits the whims of our attorney general. Therefore, the government must support our plan. At this rate, Labor will have to pay back the money.”
Mr Tomlinson told the BBC on Wednesday he was confident the bill would pass before the House of Lords considered it.
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However, he acknowledged that the number of migrants deported to Rwanda would initially be “small” and that it would be “months” rather than days or weeks before the number grew into the “thousands.”
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